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Electricity

Earlier this week a massive power outage struck Detroit. But that type of embarrassment might soon be a thing of the past because Detroit will soon undertake a $200 million upgrade of its electricity grid.

Electricity sales normally grow and fall with economic activity, but since 2011, that pattern has been turned on its head. The Washington Post offers four explanations for the change and how it threatens utilities' very existence.

The candidates competing to emerge from today's mayoral primary confront a host of challenges that threaten the quality of life in the Big Apple. Five experts identify the issues they believe are key to improving the city's livability.

When electricity was still in its infancy, municipal leaders turned to "moonlight towers" to provide mass illumination for their cities. Megan Garber explores the "brief and literally shining moment" in the history of electric streetlights.

SPUR, the San Francisco-based planing think tank, looks at the potential benefits to the public sector of using dynamic, demand-based pricing to manage limited public resources - from parking to electricity.

Coachella Valley is home to agriculture, music festivals, and impoverished residents living in shanty mobile homes. Drinkable water, reliable electricity, basic sanitation, and clean air are scarce, says California Watch.

Three years ago, Boulder grabbed international attention when it announced plans to construct a "smart grid" of high tech tools to help cut its electricity consumption. But that project has gone way over budget.